SWEET SIXTEEN

Welcome to the exciting world of Sweet Sixteen! It’s a thrilling casino-style game that combines the best of Black Jack with a unique scoring system. In this game, you’ll earn chips or pay them out based on the hand you create. Forget about reaching 21 – in Sweet Sixteen, your goal is to hit 16 exactly!

THE CARDS & THE DEAL

To play Sweet Sixteen, all you need is a standard 52-card French deck and enough chips or tokens for each player. You’ll also need a good amount of chips for the bank.

In this game, every player gets a turn to be the banker. The game continues until everyone has had a chance to be the banker. To decide who goes first, each player will draw a card from the deck. The player with the lowest card will be the first banker.

Okay, this is what you need to do: get rid of all the 6’s from the deck. Just leave the 8 of diamonds, but also remove the other three 8’s.

When we start playing, the dealer will be the banker. The banker has to mix up the deck really well and then start the game by giving two cards, face down, to the player on their left.

LET’S PLAY

Now, let’s begin with the player on the left side of the dealer. They will check out the two cards they were given. They can keep these cards or exchange them, one at a time. If they decide to swap a card, they have to place it face down as a waste pile. Once they are done exchanging cards, they can either stop, get to exactly 16 points, or go over 16 and bust. When they are finished with their turn, all they have to do is say they are done and pass.

Hey there! Just a quick heads-up, while playing this game, it’s important to remember not to reveal your hand, even if you go over 16 points or hit it exactly. We’ll show everyone’s cards at the end of the round. Cool? Cool.

So, once the first player finishes their turn, the banker scoops up all the cards from the discard pile, shuffles them back into the deck, and deals two fresh cards to the next player. Exciting! Oh, and the next player also has the option to trade cards until they’re happy with their hand or they go over 16 points. Up to them!

This back and forth continues until every player has a complete hand. Once all the players have built their hands, it’s time to wrap things up and end the round. Keep your fingers crossed!

Now, Let’s Talk About Scoring

Here’s the deal: Either you earn chips from the bank or you fork over some to the bank, depending on how things went in the round. The outcome matters, my friend!

Hand Value	Chip Payment
When I have a total hand value of 16	I earn one chip for each player in the game
When I have a total hand value of 16 that includes the 8 of diamonds	I earn two chips for each player in the game
When I have a total hand value of less than 16	I need to pay one chip to the bank
When I have a total hand value of more than 16	I need to pay one chip to the bank for each point over 16
When I have the best hand	I earn ten chips, which will be shared if tied

WINNING

After each player has been the banker one time, the game comes to an end. The player who has accumulated the most chips is declared the winner.

Hey there! I’m Amber (They/Them). I live in Austin and I’m both a writer and a gaming connoisseur. I consider myself a gaming master, and on top of that, I’m a huge dog and plant lover. Oh, and of course, I love playing D&D too!